Malt, a processed grain, is widely used in the manufacture of fermented alcoholic beverages for which it supplies fermentable sugars, flavoring, certain enzymes and other important ingredients. The art of malting grain is an ancient art which has been practiced through the centuries and dates back as far as the early Egyptians. Malting essentially consists of allowing such grains as wheat, rye or barley to partially germinate under controlled conditions whereby certain chemical and physiological changes take place. The malting process may be divided into three main steps, steeping, germination and kilning. Steeping consists of soaking the grain in water having a temperature of from about 50.degree. F. (10.degree. C.) to about 65.degree. F. (18.degree. C.) until the grains have absorbed enough moisture to start germination. The steeped grain is then transferred into compartments where enough water is added to maintain the moisture content up to about 45 to about 50% and where under controlled temperature and moisture conditions germination takes place. After the desired amount of germination has taken place, during which time the grain has developed rootlets and coleoptile, and produced such starch-splitting enzymes as .alpha.- and .beta.-amylase, the grain is dried with hot air in the kilning step. The kilning terminates any further germination and imparts the aroma and flavor giving properties to the grain. The rootlets which do not naturally fall off during kilning are intentionally removed from the grain after the kilning step. Malt in its finished form is substantially free of root material.
Malted grains, especially malted barley, have also been used to add a malt flavor to foodstuffs. However, in the conventional processing of barley, the roots and shoots are separated from the endosperm and discarded. The flavor of malted barley is derived from the processed endosperm. Rootlets have never been made use of in food products as a malt flavorant additive.